The fall of a leaf :: Ring No. 39

I recently came across this Russian Proverb: "The fall of a leaf is a whisper to the living." I love the sentiment and I immediately knew I had to somehow incorporate it into a new piece. I hand lettered the quote in calligraphy and then created smaller versions of my maple leaf design to dance above the words. I hand cut around the tops of the leaves for an interesting jagged edge. I had thought of separating the leaves from the text to make a set of two stacking rings that would fit together along a jagged edge at the bottom of the leaves, but it was turning out so nicely as one piece that I didn't want to risk messing it up. I may experiment with the idea though. I did try a mock up, cutting the two stacking rings out of paper which actually turned out well so I may give it a try in metal sometime soon. In the meantime, I'm pretty happy with how this ring turned out. Below of are some progress shots so you can see a couple stages of the process.

Amethyst Leaf Ring :: Ring A Week No. 36

It's been a busy month, but I've finally finished ring number 36. This ring, created for a customer, is a modification of an earlier Ring A Week design, ring number 7. For this newest ring I've set an amethyst cabochon, instead of peridot, in the center. I've also given the bezel and stone a lower profile so that it is a bit more protected, nestled among the leaves. Other than those differences the two rings are quite similar yet the change in stone color gives the ring a different look.

Ring a Week No. 13

Yesterday, I made this sterling silver and peridot ring featuring a single etched leaf, a simpler version of my Ring A Week No. 7. I really like this simpler design. I had first intended for it to have two leaves, but I found I liked the single leaf and decided it looked best that way. It's one of those special pieces I feel compelled to keep for myself. I've been wearing it all day and I like it!

I have one more ring design in mind that will feature my etched leaves. Stay tuned.

Ring A Week Number 7

I'm not sure why, but design ideas often come to me in the shower. My seventh ring in the Ring A Week challenge was one of those ideas. I was thinking about this small peridot cabochon that I've had for awhile and wondering how I might use it in a ring when this image of the peridot encircled with leaves popped into my head. I began drawing and etching the leaf design right away and the finished piece is exactly as I envisioned (which is not always the case, so I was very pleased). Below are some photos of the ring in progress.

This is my favorite ring (so far) that I've made for the challenge and it reminds me that spring is just around the corner.